Donations continue to flood in for charity in memory of Wotton teenager

DONATIONS continue to flood in for a Wotton-under-Edge family on a mission to bring clean water to Sierra Leone in memory of their teenage son who died last year in a car accident.

Eighteen-year-old Rory Evans was killed after his car collided with a van on an accident blackspot on Wotton Road on December 27 last year.

In the aftermath of the tragedy his parents, Tony and Karen from Tabernacle Road, were determined that something good should come out of it and came up with the idea of Rory’s Well.

The Gazette reported last month how £20,000 had been raised meaning they could build six wells despite - only intending to raise enough for one.

But fundraising by friends continues to happen, including a concert held by Uley Singing Allsorts choir and The Elderly Brothers at the Matara centre in Kingscote Park, where Rory used to work.

The event raised £2,000 after Barclays bank matched the donations and the choir chairman Maurice Ball said it was a wonderful night for a terrific charity.

“People have said it was arguably the best choir performance we have done yet,” he said.

“It was lovely that Rory’s family were all at the concert including their grandma and uncle, who are in the choir."

In addition a mountain biking festival in Kingswood, Heaven of the South, chose Rory’s Well as one of its chosen charities, raising £2,000 for the cause.

Event organiser Al King, of Al’s Cyclery in Wotton-under-Edge, said: “It’s absolutely amazing what they are doing, to give children drinking water for the first time in their lives is amazing.”

Rory’s mother Karen Binns said the family were overwhelmed by people’s generosity.

“It meant so much to us that they wanted to support Rory’s Well,” she said.

“It was also a lovely connection as Al and Vic King are friends and Al fixed Rory’s bike at his cyclery.

“What is so wonderful is that people are so generous and with some organisation from people like Al manage to have a great time doing something they love and make a fantastic contribution to causes like ours.

On the concert, she said: “It really is a magnificent example of everyone giving of themselves. The concert just in it’s own right was beautiful and the choir and organisers worked so hard.”

More wells are planned to be built in October once the rainy season is over as the area becomes inaccessible.